Jen Mann: “Strange Beauties”

20 February 2013 - 23 March 2013
West Gallery

Inspired by the circus, illusions, dreams and the innocence and playfulness of childhood, Strange Beauties explores beauty and its fringes. Capturing sincere moments between Mann and her subjects, the paintings in this exhibition evoke a naïve and unfiltered sense of beauty akin to that experienced in childhood. Using colour and saturation to foreground elegant and alluring elements in otherwise odd and unglamourous images, Mann captures the world through “rose-coloured glasses.” An intense stare, a blink, a sideways glance—and in some works, the collision of these gestures—create a deep sense of intimacy and honesty amidst the surreal images.